When I need a replacement, I will likely leave the brand altogether. The lack of an N/A engine is a big part of it and BMW is straying from its performance roots by being a more 'user friendly' car manufacturer for the general population, which demands larger and more comfortable cars (at least in the US). While there is no question that the new cars 'outperform' the older gens on paper, for me personally they are not as engaging and have lost a lot of their fun-to-drive factor, which more than offsets incremental gains in straight line performance. Other competitors do 'user friendly', larger, high performance and comfortable cars too, and I don't think BMW has an edge in offering something differentiated anymore. I believe that C&D was spot on when they said that in a head-to-head comparison, the old 3 series would win vs the new 3 series....I totally see where they're coming from.

When I need a replacement, I will likely leave the brand altogether. The lack of an N/A engine is a big part of it and BMW is straying from its performance roots by being a more 'user friendly' car manufacturer for the general population, which demands larger and more comfortable cars (at least in the US). While there is no question that the new cars 'outperform' the older gens on paper, for me personally they are not as engaging and have lost a lot of their fun-to-drive factor, which more than offsets incremental gains in straight line performance. Other competitors do 'user friendly', larger, high performance and comfortable cars too, and I don't think BMW has an edge in offering something differentiated anymore. I believe that C&D was spot on when they said that in a head-to-head comparison, the old 3 series would win vs the new 3 series....I totally see where they're coming from.

I agree lack of N/A and lack of MT availability... I will probably leave. the f10 m5 is the last style available with an optional 6MT

so many good choices. hmmm. i would love a 458 with hre s1 01 wheels.
but reality is more like mini cooper s

Don't worry Raja you're not the only one. I plan to get a Cooper S too. I wanted to get a Granturismo next and daily drive it like my M3 but I love to drive around endlessly and filling up every 3 days is killing me.